Push-button switch construction



Nov. 23, 1948. L. L vERKulL 2,454,295

I PUSH BUTTON SWITCH coNsTRUcTIQN I Filed .nine 5, 194s yQ/ S i v 4/ v 5 39 imam] Patented Nov. 23, 1948 :c l WM q'qf Pl'. 1an?- v' r.

TED `STATE S PATE N T 0 F F I C E 2,454,2et` l n v I rush-BUTTON SWITCH oovsfrRUc'IoN heb Lye'kulii, ,rli'ftnviuegfitn sigirwtofhl wards & Company, Inc.,'Norvvalk, Colin., a corporation of New York A Apiilicaiion aime 5, 194e, seal No. 674,449

fhrisinvention relates to push button switch constrlviction.V y y One of theobjects of this invention is to provide .zlvsi rr1ple,r strong and i inexpensive push button switch construction that `will belwell adapted for facility of manufacture and assembly, as well as for installation.

....AIlOtheIfv Object to 'Vprovidea button switch construction .in which dependable and reliable use can be made of moldable materials such so-called fplastics for certain ofthe parts of the constructionL without detrimentally affectingcompactness and durability of construction orrdepe'ndability of operation. Y

Another object isto provide a push button switch construction `of` the so-called flush type, with simple and dependableA means for securing Kit'in' mountedposition, as in a hole bored in a Wall or door-frame.

Another 'obj ect is, to, carrywout,y this *last-mentioned object in 'aman'ne ritg simplify andlfacilitate, assembly of thelsecurin-e means andrthe re.- latednarts. and also te insureinairltenahce 0f such assembly aS .We 1l afi. 0f hfSCnng-f Otherobjectswillbe in part obvious or in part pointed out.hereinaftenA y Theinrentien,aeeorenelm@esistein;th fee'- .turesbfconstruction.eembineiensoi le sets and .arrangements of, parte as will be Y@ mpled .inthe Structure. tate hereinafter lesriliediid the, scopeof` the,applicationof which will be indicated inthefollle Hermine 11.1.1211@ Ya@,@,Orriifsarlyme. Famine.. iemwheh Aai@ shevvnby wayworf illust tion several possible emboslireents offerieren, @a p Eigureldis a side elevationbf an assembled 'push buttonswitch struture;

Figure; is al bottom plan tiewj as seen from .t Yri'lf ttet-Vie' n alena?. e .lineeef their@ and en@ also tools or adjuncts usable Yin Acourse "volaims (o1. "2106414595 so far as certain features of the invention` are concerned, is preferably made of a moldablevrna'- terialy such as any suitable plastic ofy which fBakelite is anv illustration. The shell I0 hasa cylindrical sidewall l Lclosedat its bottom end by a bottom wall I2 `which is providedatits center with ahole yI3 `vvhose wallsere preferably stepped as is better shown in Figure 3 tdprovide (englannular recess Ill at the extreme'facelofthe bottom IN2. .y At the other end vo` the side wall l l the shell vIll `has a laterally; proj ecting`V annular flange I`5 which, in j known` `manner,listo nengage they face @te wail on ,door-frame or. ether part and. thereby linto a hole that is bored in the wall ord or.-

for-,a purpose later described. y u. A, r The bottom Wall l2 is molded or otherwise prorvvidedV with suitable holes or apertures corresponding to the number vof 'contacts withwhich Yit is" desired to provide the structure, illustratively 2, and'they` are apDrQpriately grouped about the axis of the shell I0 and hence about the axis o f` the hole yI3. `When two Vin number they are 'preferably diametric'ally `tfjpposed. In the illustrative embodimentthe two holes are indicated yat H and Veach hase'xtendi'ngr` through li tacor`n `bined contact and connecter element C of metal such as brass. v r t r. Y r

r The contact elements maybe inthe form of stampings, conveniently of rectangular section, and maybe shaped asis better shown in Figure 5, to provide a stepped or shouldered outline with 'an intermediate portion I6 snugly vttedvinto the rectangular, hole H to the extent permitted by the shoulders il, the portion? I6` termin-ating in yslfroul'ders lthat Aare:adjacent the inside face of .thebottom,l`2 so that these shoulders can be, by the use of any suitable tool, swedged or forced outwardly and away from each other and thereby lock `.and hold the Contact connecters C in position.

V` ya 'fl Thereby also the vinner endsA 2B (see Figure 3) .Qitheonductive parts Q are positioned in a plane parallel tothe bottomhwall 'l2 and intermediate of the ends ofv the shelli I0, for coaction with a conductive bridgingelement which is preferably i111 the form of anrelativelyA thin metal disc 2| preferably 'made ofva springy metal such as any suitable copper alloym'lhe disc member 2| is to bevactuatedby `a button Bruin opposition to a Series 2.2- 1a the ,ferm shewe in Figure 3 ,the button B is preferably of a molded non-metallic material such as a plastic and is molded to provide a hole 23 that opens into the inner face 24 of the button, the inner face being preferably curved in cross-section as shown in Figure 3 where it is desired to achieve a flexing of the metal disc 2l, as is later described. Disc 2i has a central hole 25 which can be a little larger than the hole 23 in the button B, the latter having a diameter to freely slide along the inside face of the cylindrical side wall II.

To achieve assembly, the button B is laid down on a suitable support S and then the disc 2| superimposed upon it and thereafter, with the helical spring 22 inserted into the shell I0, the latter and the spring are inverted over the button and disc, thereby axially aligning the holes 23, 25 and I3. Then a pin 23, provided with a head 21 at one end and with its surface at the other end knurled as at 28, is inserted into the hole I3, passing through the hole 25 in the disc 2I and thus substantially aligned with the hole 23 in the button B. The diameters of hole 23 and the knurled end portion 23 are so proportioned that the latter enters the former with a tightness to form a press-ht; and accordingly a plunger P, provided with a concave end face to receive and center the convex head 21 is brought down on to the ,pin 2E and the latter pressed home into the button hole 23.

The length of the pin 26 is such that, when pressed home in the button B, the head 2? cannot carry the shell I0, pressed upwardly by the spring 22, downwardly to a sufficient extent to cause the flange I5 to engage the support S, and hence there is no danger of stressing the shell Ill or of fracturing it.

In the form shown in Figure 4 the button B has a metal pin 39 molded into it during the molding process, and if desired the submerged end of the pin can be provided with knurling or other projections or even a head, as indicated at 3I, to insure dependable interlock between the two parts. The other end of the pin 39 is hollow as indicated at 32. To accomplish assembly, the button B with the pin 33 is rested on a suitable support S, the metal disc 2l and the spring 22 are sleeved on to the .pin 30 and then the inverted shell Iii telescoped downwardly over these parts to bring the hollow end of the pin 3i) up through the hole I3 and the bottom I2. Then a suitable tool T, preferably provided with a tapered end to enter and center the upper end of the pin 30, is brought down upon the latter and suitably operated to laterally expand or spin the hollow end of the pin, as is indicated in Figure 4. This operation is preferably carried on with the shell Ill manually or otherwise pressed downwardly against the support S, against the action of the spring 22, thus to freely expose the upper end of the pin 39 to the action of the tool T and thereby to avoid risk of jamming the expanding stem parts in the hole I3. v

The annular recess lll about the hole I3 is of appropriate axial dimension to accommodate the head 2l' in Figure 3 or the head-like laterally expanded formation 33 of Figure 4.

The external part of the shell Ill adjacent the bottom I2 is shaped to provide a laterally projecting flange 35 which need not be of a diameter in excess of that of the side wall il. It may be formed by providing an external annular groove 36 which preferably is formed by two surfaces of revolution which make an acute angle to each other in cross-section, as seen in Figures 3 and 4, and at least one of which is preferably in a plane transverse to the axis of the shell. Such a groove 33 is easily molded where the shell is made of plastic. Preferably also there is provided an annular recess 31 on that side of the flange 35 remote from the just described recess 36.

Into the annular recess 3l is received the ring part 33 of a stamping of springy sheet metal having upstanding therefrom and at suitably spaced intervals a suitable number, illustratively 4, of arms 39 which are of a length to extend toward the shell flange I5 which has, in its under face as seen in Figure l and as shown in crosssection in Figures 3 and 4, an annular groove or recess I5a with which the arms 39 coact as later described. These arms 39 are bent at right angles to the plane of the flat ring part 38 to by-pass the shell flange 35 (see Figures 3 and 4) whence they are bent inwardly and then outwardly at angularities that approximate the acute angle formed by the faces of the annular groove 3E.

The stamped and shaped entity 35i-39 may, in assembly, be simply slid downwardly as viewed in Figures 3 and 4, so that the ring part 38 by`passes the projecting ends of the connecter devices C, the downwardly and outwardly inclined portions 39a first engaging the flange 35 and thereby camming the arms 39 outwardly against their spring action so that the knee portions 39b spring or snap downwardly past the flange 35 and snap into the annular recess 38 with which, because of the relative shapes of the parts, the knee portions co-act somewhat in the nature of a pawl and ratchet, dependably resisting movement in relative directions tending to separate'the structure 38-39 from the shell ID; The ring part 38, neatly tting into the annular groove 31, acts thereby to center the two assembled structures and thus tends to insure uniformity of holding or ratchet action by all of the knee parts 39b relative tothe groove walls 36.

The conformation of the arms 39 is such that they normally, aided by the spring action of the metal, assume positions somewhat as indicated in Figures 1, 3 and 4, with their free ends spaced away from the shell wall II, and hence the knee portions 39b need not completely bottom in the groove 3B. However, when the assemblage is mounted in the above described hole in the wall or door-frame, the spring arms 39, which may be somewhat arched if desired, relative to the side wall II, yield and are pressed inwardly toward the shell wall I I, holding the push button switch tightly in the hole. This action may be aided by the engagement of the free ends of the arms 39 with the shell wall I I just underneath the ange I5 or with the inner curved surface of the annular groove I5a into which the arms 39 can enter as they become elongated when they yield, particularly at the bends or convex curvatures intermediate of their lengths, so that the holding action against the walls of the hole is intensified by the resistance of the arms 39 to flatten out the archlike shape. In either or both cases, the knee portions 39b of the arms 39 are moved further inwardly into the annular groove 36, thus more securely to envelop the ange 35 and also to bring greater areas of the knee portions 39b into overlapping relation to the flange 35. The very action that contributes toward the secure fastening of the structure in the wall hole is thus made to increase the fastening or security of assemblage of the device 38-39, and the shell I'0.

The contact connector devices C may be externally provided with any suitable means for conlletng electrical conductors thereto, such as `V`'5 screws 4l. The spring` 22 normally holds the bridging disc 2| and the button B outermost of the shell Ill, to an extent permitted bythe head 21 of thepin 26 orthepart 3-3 of the pin 3'0. Upon depressing the button B vagainst the action of spring 22 the spring metal disc 22 engages the contact ends 2K3-29 of the parts C, the pressure of contact being equally distributed therebetween, and the curved face'24 permitting the disc 2l to iiex under `the applied pressure, thus to give a rubbing self-cleaning circuit-making engagement with the contact parts 20.

There are instances Where it is desired to mount the switch structure in a round hole in a sheet metal plate against which the flange I can abut; the relationships and coactions between the spring or bendable arms 39 and the flange groove I 5EL are such that, by entering the free ends of the arms 39 more or less into the groove 15a, the free ends of the arms 39 may be positively precluded from snapping through the hole in the thin sheet -metal plate and from then springing radially outwardly, in which case it would be difcult, if not impossible, subsequently to remove the structure from the plate. Moreover, the inclination (downward and inward, in Figures 3 and 4) of the free ends of the arms 39 is, by the freedom of entry of the arms into the ange groove |522 lincreased so that the reaction of the` arms against the Walls of the hole can thereafter tend to cam or press the ange l5 and the thin plate together and thus maintain a tight and hush assembly.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided in this invention a push button switch construction in which the several objects above noted, together with many thoroughly practical advantages of manufacture, assembly, installation, and operation are successfully achieved.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted `as illustrative and not in a limiting sense,

I claim:

1. A push button switch construction adapted to be set into -a hole in a wall or the like and comprising a shell having a spring-opposed button and contactor means reciprocable within the shell and having connector-contact means carried by the shell for cri-action with said contactor means, said shell having laterally exposed groove means, said groove means being adjacent the bottom end of said shell, a frame ring adapted to rest against the bottom end of the shell and having a plurality of spring-like arms extending externally along the side of the shell and towardthe front end, at least certain of said spring arms having inwardly projecting means engageable into said groove means to eiect assembly thereof and of said frame ring to saidshell.

2. A push button switch construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said inwardly projecting means has a cam-like conformation engageable, during assembly, with the peripheral bottom edge of the shell to cam the spring-like arm outwardly to tension said spring arm and to guide said inwardly projecting means over said peripheral bottom edge and to a position overlying said groove means for springdike entry into said groove means.

3. A push button construction as claimed in claim l in which said projecting means has a shape like a Vratchet tooth to cam the spring-like arm outwardlyiover the peripheral bottom edge 'of said shell during assembly to tension said spring arm and to guide said inwardly projecti-ng means `into said groove means andthereafter oppose retrograde movement of the frame ring and spring-like arms.

4. A push button switch construction adapted to be set into a hole in a wall or the like and comprising a shell having a spring-opposed button :and contacter means reciprocable within the shell and having connector-contact means carried by the shell for co-action with said contactor means, said shell having an annular substantially peripheral recess at its bottom end and having recess means in its side Wall, a frame ring adapted to seat in said annular recess and having a plurality of yieldable arms extending therefrom and along the sides of the shell for engagement with the walls of the hole into which the construction is to be set, said arms having inwardly extending portions engageable in said recess means.

5. A push button switch construction adapted to be set into a hole in a wall or the like and comprising a shell having a spring-opposed button and contactor means reciproca-ble within the shell and having connector-contact means carried by the shell for co-action with said contactor means, said shell having laterally exposed shoulder means, and a holding device comprising a frame held against a bottom end portion of the shell and having a plurality of yieldable arms extending therefrom and along the sides of the shell for engagement with the walls of the hole into which the construction is to be set, said arms having spaced from said frame and in co-acting holding relation to said shoulder means holding said frame against said bottom end portion of the shell.

6. A push button switch construction adapted to be set into a hole in a wall, plate, or the like, and comprising a shell having a spring-opposed button and contactor means reciprocable within the shell and having connectorcontact means carried by the shell for coaction with said contactor means, said shell having a peripheral ange to limit entry of the shell into said hole and said fiange having recess means underneath it, said shell having recess means in its side wall spaced from said flange, and a frame having a plurality of yieldable arms extending along the sides of the shell and toward said first recess means, said arms having outward bulging intermediate portions to engage with the walls of said hole whereby they yield inwardly toward the sides of the shell and, upon movement of the arms inwardly toward said shell as said intermediate bulging portions engage the walls of said hole, substantially enter their ends into said rst recess means, said arms having means interengaging with said second recess means and into which they are entered in response to movement of said arms inwardly toward said shell.

7. A push button switch construction adapted to be set in a hole in a wall or the like and comprising a cup-like shell, a button reciprocable within the mouth thereof, spring means urging said button outwardly and retaining means limiting the outward travel thereof, contactor means within said shell operated by said button, the side walls of said cup being recessed, a frame ring externally resting against the bottom of said cup and having a plurality of spring arms exinvvardly directed knee bends tending along said side Walls toward the mouth of said cup, at least certain of said spring arms having inwardly projecting means thereon eX- tending into the recessed part of said side Walls, atleast part of said arms being biased away from said side walls to resiliently engage the walls of the hole in Which said switch is set.

1 v LEO L. VERKUIL.

REFERENCES CITED Number UNITED STATES PATENTS f Name Date Hazazer Nov. 20, 1900 Lungen June 23, 1903 Keil July 4, 1905 Cadieux May 13, 1919 Miller Jan. 15, 1929 Hansen Jan. 26, 1932 Edwards Aug. 22, 1939 DelCamp June 24, 1941 

